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Planning and strategy

Tips and advice when planning ahead

This section provides tips and advice for business strategy.

An introduction to strategic planning

Key elements of strategic planning.

Avoiding traps in strategic planning

Strategy errors to avoid.

Building strategic alliances

How collaboration can benefit your business.

Finding your market niche

Capitalise on your corner of the marketplace.

How to survive when times get tough

Protect your business in a downturn.

Innovate to grow

The three basic skills behind innovation.

Make your planning meetings count

Tips for effective planning meetings.

No business is an island

Understanding your place in the chain.

Pricing strategies

Different approaches to setting a price.

Six reasons why business plans fail

Business planning traps to avoid.

Six steps to an effective business plan

Review your business planning.

Small is profitable

The advantages of being a small business.

Strategies for increasing revenue

Including the product/market matrix.

The right kind of growth

Is growth always healthy?

13 Oct 2025

HMRC brings in extra £4.6 billion using 'big data' system

HMRC brought in an extra £4.6 billion in tax revenue last year by using its 'big data' system.

10 Oct 2025

Countdown to Vaping Products Duty begins

There is now less than a year until the UK government introduces a Vaping Products Duty (VPD) and vaping duty stamps (VDS) on 1 October 2026.

09 Oct 2025

Study finds 'increased openness' to using external finance amongst firms

A study carried out by the British Business Bank has revealed that the use of external finance amongst small firms stabilised in 2024 as businesses increasingly welcome using finance for growth.